Welcome to the QC Appointments website

Introduction

This website is updated regularly with news and details on current competitions, information for applicants and assessors. Please return regularly to ensure you stay abreast of developments, you may also wish to add the site to your favourites.

The award of Queen’s Counsel is for excellence in advocacy in the higher courts. It is made to advocates who have rights of audience in the higher courts of England and Wales and have demonstrated the competencies in the Competency Framework to a standard of excellence.

Applications are welcome from all suitably qualified advocates – including solicitors and employed advocates, as well as barristers in independent practice. Applications are also particularly welcomed from women, members of ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and other groups that are currently under-represented.

THE 2018 COMPETITION

The 108 new appointments as Queen’s Counsel were announced on 10 January 2019.

The full list of appointments, a press release relating to the announcement, the Selection Panel’s report on the 2018 competition, documents setting out how the QC Selection Panel approached the competencies, statistics from 1995 to present and a note on feedback to interviewed applicants can be found below:

If you require further information, please contact the Chief Executive of the QCA, Russell Wallman or other QCA staff on 0207 831 0020 or email enquiries@qcappointments.org.

2019 Competition: Note to Prospective Applicants

Following the consultation earlier this year, the professional bodies intend to make a change to the application process for the 2019 competition, which is expected to be launched in February.

Although applicants will continue to be asked to list 12 cases of substance in which they have been engaged as an advocate, applicants will in future be asked to list a judge, a fellow advocate, and a client from each listed case where possible, rather than listing a total of eight judges, six fellow advocates, and four clients as prospective assessors. A note explaining the professional bodies’ decision in the light of the consultation is here.

The Guidance for Applicants, which will be published in February 2019, will give further guidance about the selection of prospective assessors.

Review of the Assessment Process

Earlier this year, QCA commissioned an independent consultant to examine the way in which the Selection Panel operated the QC appointment process, in order to identify any changes which should be made to ensure that the Selection Panel’s decisions are as soundly based as possible.

The consultant’s report is here. The approach the Selection Panel intends to take to the recommendations is here.

Feedback to QCA

If you would like to comment on the way the competition is currently run, or provide suggestions for the future, please use the feedback form on this site, link to the left, or write to the address under Contact Us.